Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, November 08, 2024
No. 54
www.nyc.gov/parks

NYC PARKS ANNOUNCES INNOVATIVE NEW PLAN TO FILL EVERY AVAILABLE STREET TREE PLANTING LOCATION IN LESS THAN 10 YEARS

New block planting strategy will enable Parks to plant 18,000 trees per year, serving each community board every three years and supporting critical goal of 30% canopy coverage citywide

NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue today unveiled a bold new sector-based approach to street tree planting which will ensure that all neighborhoods are serviced by 2035. As New York City is coming off of one of its hottest summers on record, Parks is taking action to ensure that New York’s most vulnerable neighborhoods are prioritized to receive the resources they deserve faster, and more efficiently.

"Trees are not only beautiful, they are an essential ingredient in our plans to keep New Yorkers cool during ever-hotter summers," said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. "The Parks Department's innovative new block planting approach will mean every neighborhood gets equal benefit of green cover, ultimately delivering more trees, more quickly, more affordably. That is government at its best."

“Trees aren’t just beautiful parts of our natural environment – they're critical tools for combatting the effects of climate change. We are proud to roll out this innovative approach to tree planting, which will ensure that every neighborhood receives the services they need on a regular, systematic basis,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue. “This is a groundbreaking approach—literally—and will make our tree planting and maintenance more efficient and equitable. Trees provide vital shade to streets and parkland, mitigate the effects of excess stormwater, and keep our air clean. We’re excited to put this plan into action to expand our tree canopy, making a greener New York City for generations to come.”

“What a win for New Yorkers! We are going to plant a street tree in every location we can across every corner of New York City,” said Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice Executive Director Elijah Hutchinson. “And what a win for the environment and our often-overlooked environmental justice communities, who need shade, cleaner air, better drainage, and green infrastructure that supports biodiversity and their health.”

How It Works:

Previously, tree planting was based on multiple mandates which competed with the prioritization of Heat Vulnerable neighborhoods, including discretionary funding and public requests. This resulted in inconsistent and unpredictable service with a backlog of 42,000+ requests for trees and a wait time for the public of 2 to 7 years. NYC Parks’ new block planting strategy will be more efficient, fully stocking each zone before moving on to the next. Under the new approach, every community board will have at least one zone served on a 3-year cycle. Parks will service all zones citywide—over 400 total—on a 9-year cycle.

Additionally, NYC Parks will now include comprehensive neighborhood streetscape improvements along with planting in active planting sectors. Dead trees and stumps will be removed and replaced where feasible as part of the process, and empty unplantable tree beds will be closed.

Targeting Heat Vulnerable Neighborhoods:

A robust urban tree canopy counteracts the effects of extreme heat by providing vital shade. More Americans die from heat waves than all other natural disasters combined, and an estimated 350 New Yorkers die prematurely each summer due to heat. With this new tree planting system, Parks is prioritizing those neighborhoods that are most at risk from extreme heat, defined as having a Heat Vulnerability Index score of 4 or 5. Thanks to a $136 million capital investment from the Adams administration, Parks expects to plant a tree in every viable spot in the most heat-vulnerable neighborhoods by the end of 2027, while continuing to bring more targeted services to every Community Board within the three-year cycle.

High Heat Vulnerability Index neighborhoods prioritized in this program include:

Bronx: Williamsbridge, Woodlawn, Eastchester, Edenwald, Soundview, Morris Park

Brooklyn: Seagate, Coney Island, East Flatbush, Bushwick, Crown Heights, Flatlands, Sunset Park

Manhattan: West Harlem, East Harlem, Lower East Side

Queens: Hunters Point, Sunnyside, Long Island City, Elmhurst, Laurelton

“This is exactly what it looks like to do things the right way. By prioritizing our neighborhoods most vulnerable to extreme heat, this new tree planting strategy will help keep our streets cool, our air clean, and our neighbors safe and healthy,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “I’m so grateful to see NYC Parks take a data-driven approach to street trees and thank Commissioner Donoghue for her leadership. Expanding tree cover to improve local air quality is an important recommendation within my Comprehensive Plan for Brooklyn, and I’m thrilled to see our tree canopy grow.”

“I am grateful to the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation for launching a bold new initiative aimed at bringing equity and fairness to tree planting initiatives in our city that for too long, overlooked neighborhoods in poor and underserved communities,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. “As New Yorkers witnessed some of the hottest temperatures on record this summer exacerbated by the Urban Heat Island Effect that warms communities anywhere from 10 to 20 degrees higher than in suburban and rural areas, I am grateful the Parks Department is prioritizing heat vulnerable neighborhoods where a disproportionate number of residents suffer from diabetes, asthma, heart disease, and other illnesses further exacerbated by heat conditions. I want to thank NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue for also collaborating with Community Boards to ensure that through New Block Planting Strategy, trees are planted not only to beautify, but also to protect the health and well-being of all our neighbors.”

“The Nature Conservancy commends NYC Parks for their innovative plan to expedite planting of new trees across the city. In a climate changing world, caring for and expanding the NYC urban forest is a critical strategy to protecting public health and improving quality of life. The City's initiative will improve tree planting services citywide and provide critical environmental benefits, especially for our most heat-vulnerable neighborhoods,” said Bill Ulfelder, New York Executive Director for The Nature Conservancy, a convening member of Forest for All NYC.

New York City is home to more than seven million trees, comprised of more than 200 species. Street trees cool neighborhoods, beautify city blocks, soften the hard edges of concrete and brick, and serve as a source of pride for New Yorkers.

Parks encourages all New Yorkers to get involved in the stewardship of our urban trees. New Yorkers can sign up for stewardship events via the NYC Parks website, or care for their neighborhood trees by weeding unwanted plants from tree beds and watering trees weekly -- and young trees are extra thirsty! Record your tree care activities on the NYC Tree Map, an interactive tool that displays information about all trees managed by NYC Parks, from those lining streets to the ones growing in landscaped areas of parks. Visit the Tree Map at nyc.gov/parks/treemap.